Born in North London, Jack grew up on a die… Read Full Bio ↴Jack Allsopp - Just Jack
Born in North London, Jack grew up on a diet of dance music including, break dance, electro hip hop and house. A wannabe break dancer at eight, his love of dance music led him to start DJing at the age of fifteen and he soon became submerged in DJ culture and US garage.
After completing a degree in Furniture Design Jack enrolled on a community music production course, which heightened his awareness to the potential of sampling. This inspired Jack to concentrate on perfecting his sound by night and to take on a series of unfulfilling jobs by day.
"I've been a washer upper, a flower arranger, a runner for a TV post production company... I even worked at Gap for while. That made me all the more determined to work at the music. I would get this down time in a studio and be recording all night, and working at Gap all day. It was knackering but it was very inspiring time."
Jack's debut album, 'The Outer Marker' is a collection of songs about modern life, relationships and the pressures of social situations. Originally released by the independent label RG Records, Just Jack's debut album 'The Outer Marker' received fantastic reviews. 'The Independent' described it as "impressive", Q said, "masterful", the 'NME' said "Awesome. Welcome Just Jack, you rule!", and 'The Big Issue' saluted Jack as "The new troubadour of daily life in the UK".
"The Outer Marker" has recently been re-packaged and re-released and now includes extra tracks and the video for 'Snowflakes'. It has been receiving plenty of airplay and remixes from the likes of Aphrodite and a famous Cure bootleg of 'Snowflakes' is now thrusting Just Jack into the limelight.
Recently, Jack and his band played his third ever gig to a great crowd at the Glastonbury Dance Tent and he will be performing at the V Festivals later this summer.
Jack Allsopp on Just Jack:
"I never had heroes and never wanted to be like other musicians", he says. "I have no affiliations to anyone, I'm not part of a gang, I'm not a part of a scene and I don't have a sound that's obviously a part of a scene. I'm Just Jack."
Links to Just Jack official homepages
Just Jack Homepage
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Hold On
Just Jack Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I've got the face of a
19 year old
Probably be a dad soon
Sitting in my front room
With my kids, play doe mold
But I just hold on to
Right now
I'm not who I used to be
Trust me
I've got plans everyday next week
You know your getting older
When the kids on the corner
Have you baffled every time they speak
So lets just hold on to
What we've got
Right now
Looking round at my friends
And I see that the end of an era
Has come to pass
The fun and the games
And the fluid in our brains
Have all been reduced by half
So lets just hold on to
What we're got
Right Now
I'm not a young man anymore
But I've got the face of a
19 year old
Everything's changed
But I can't complain
Cause I'm doing pretty well all talk
Just Jack's song Hold On is a reflection on the passage of time and growing older. The singer acknowledges that he is no longer a young man, even though he still has the youthful appearance of a 19-year-old. He contemplates the idea of soon becoming a dad, sitting in his front room with his kids and playdough molds. Despite the passage of time, the singer clings onto the present moment and urges listeners to do the same, suggesting that they should hold onto what they've got right now.
As the song continues, the singer reflects on the changes that have occurred in his life and the world around him. He notes how his plans have shifted to activities like taking care of his family, and how he struggles to understand the slang used by the younger generation. The fun and carefree times of his youth have given way to a new era, and the singer observes that his friends and their lifestyles have also changed as they have grown older.
Through these lyrics, Just Jack captures the bittersweet feeling of growing older and the changes that come with it. The song encourages listeners to hold onto the present moment and appreciate what they have while they have it. Ultimately, "Hold On" is a contemplative and insightful exploration of the human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm not a young man anymore
I am not as young as I used to be
But I've got the face of a
19 year old
Though I am no longer young, I still look the same as when I was 19
Probably be a dad soon
It is likely that I will become a father soon
Sitting in my front room
With my kids, play doe mold
I imagine myself sitting in the living room, molding play dough with my future children
But I just hold on to
What I've got
Right now
I am content with what I currently have and I am holding on to it tightly
I'm not who I used to be
Trust me
I have changed since I was younger, and I want you to believe me
I've got plans everyday next week
I have something lined up for every day of the coming week
You know your getting older
When the kids on the corner
Have you baffled every time they speak
You start realizing you are getting older when you have trouble understanding what kids on the street are saying
So lets just hold on to
What we've got
Right now
We should cherish and appreciate what we currently have
Looking round at my friends
And I see that the end of an era
Has come to pass
Observing my friends, I realize that a certain phase of our lives is coming to an end
The fun and the games
And the fluid in our brains
Have all been reduced by half
The enjoyment and frivolity we once had, and our quick wits, are not as impactful as they used to be
But lets just hold on to
What we're got
Right Now
Despite this realization, we should still hold onto what we possess at present
Everything's changed
But I can't complain
Cause I'm doing pretty well all talk
Although circumstances have changed, I can't find fault and I am satisfied with how things turned out
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: NATE CAMPANY, PENNY PHILLIPS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind